A communication channel is shared by all the machines on the network in a…

Concept

A network delivery mode describes how one transmission is distributed from a sender to potential receivers.

Broadcast targets every station on the shared network, whereas unicast, multicast, and anycast select one receiver, a defined group, or one member of a group respectively.

Application

The stem specifies that the same communication channel is shared by all machines. That distribution model corresponds to a broadcast network, in which a transmission is available to every station on the shared medium.

Contrast

• A unicast network addresses one specific receiver.

• A multicast network addresses a selected group of receivers.

• An anycast network routes to one selected member, usually the nearest, among several receivers sharing an address.

Cross-check

Replacing “all machines” with “one receiver,” “a group,” or “one selected member” would describe unicast, multicast, or anycast respectively; therefore those modes do not express the all-stations shared-channel condition.

Result

The required network type is broadcast network.